Broncos coach Josh McDaniels received accolades as a young genius when Denver started the 2009 season 6-0. He also received the full brunt of criticism when the Broncos lost eight of their last 10 games.

Meanwhile, general manager Brian Xanders was all but in-visible from both praise and blame, though he was influential in all major decisions, such as signing Brian Dawkins as a free agent, as well as trading away a first-round draft pick to select Alphonso Smith high in the second round. That’s because McDaniels was the public face of the organization.

The exposure imbalance is contrary to how the organization functions, however.

“Call us whatever you want, we’re peers in building this football team,” McDaniels said of Xanders. “He is absolutely an integral part of every decision we make — and I’ll emphasize ‘we’ — because we don’t make any decisions unless we think it’s right for the Broncos.

“Sometimes that means it’s my idea and then I talk to Brian about some things and then we either watch tape or talk about it more, then we decide it is a good idea. Or some things are his ideas. There’s plenty of ideas that I have or he has that, after conversing, there’s no life to it. Nobody finds out about it because nothing happens unless the two of us think it’s the best thing to do for the Broncos.”

It’s not a stretch to suggest the next two weeks will be critical for the Broncos’ brain trust in shaping the 2010 season. Beginning today, Xanders will be in Indianapolis for the week-long NFL scouting combine. There, he and scouting director Matt Russell and pro personnel director Keith Kidd will lead the evaluations of college prospects in preparation for the April 22-24 draft.

The combine is also where agents and team executives gather in coffee shops, restaurants and hidden nooks in hotel hallways to discuss trades and potential free agents. The NFL’s free agency and trading period begins March 5.

“To me, we just had an interesting year. It was a fun year,” Xanders said. “But we’ve got to get better than 8-8.”

That likely means more player movement. Brandon Marshall, the team’s leading receiver in 2009, and tight end Tony Scheffler are among the more prominent Broncos who are not expected back this season. As for additions, Xanders and McDaniels will likely concentrate on players on the offensive and defensive lines.

“It’s tough to change, but there’s no team that doesn’t change every year,” Xanders said. “The Saints were 8-8 (in 2008) and they made dramatic changes on the defensive side with both their coaching staff and players, to where it put them over the hump to win the Super Bowl. Change is a constant with every football team. Our change may have involved bigger decisions than what people are used to (this past year), but we’re doing what we think will help the Denver Broncos win football games.”

After spending 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, Xanders was hired by Mike Shanahan as assistant general manager in 2008. After Shana-han was fired after that season, Xanders was among the Broncos’ five-man coaching search committee that hired McDaniels. Xanders wrote a four-page report to his fellow committee members explaining why he thought McDaniels should be hired.

“I had actually interviewed coaches such as Mike Singletary, Rex Ryan, Ken Whisenhunt, Mike Smith, Jim Caldwell and Jason Garrett,” Xanders said. “Of the 17 interviews I’ve been through, I was excited the most about Josh coming to Denver.”

Soon after McDaniels was hired, Xanders was promoted to general manager.

“Many football people say in this league you cannot have success or build a winning program unless the general manager and the head coach are on the same page,” Xanders said. “That’s what we have here.”

Mike Klis was with The Denver Post from Jan. 1, 1998 before leaving in 2015 to join KUSA 9News. He covered the Rockies and Major League Baseball until the 2005 All-Star break, when he was asked to start covering the Broncos.

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